I remember seeing a number of Scott Hall residents donning black sweats and streaking their cheeks with black paint. They did it again Wednesday night, this time announcing that they were going to be playing possibly their last game.
Lately I’ve been lacking in team and sports spirit, so I decided to liven up my night by watching the Scott Hall vs. Cook Hall co-ed flag football team. Little did I know it was a couple blocks down 13th Street, so I shivered my way in the cold darkness of the night with a couple of friends.
Eventually, we heard a screaming crowd in the distance and saw the sharp twinkle of field lights: this turned out to be the Hope vs. Calvin men’s soccer game. We passed the bright colors and vibrant atmosphere into a more-or-less shady field behind the big game.
I was greeted with a tiny, four-level bleacher that just about reached my shoulders. As for the crowd, let’s just say that there were more players than spectators. It was a sad sight at first (and I secretly regretted giving up the second best alternative: using the time to study for my biotechnology quiz), but as the game started, the seating arrangements and the number of people made the excitement of cheering for our teams that much more infectious. I forget my frozen cheeks and contributed my voice to the chants.
In the first few minutes of the game, Scott Hall’s team, PSP, scored two touchdowns.
On the downside, that was as good as it was going to get. Our players got butterfingers and often missed passes. The other team was quick on their feet in both scoring touchdowns and grabbing bands from our belts. I also had to leave 30 minutes in to study for my quiz, but I heard later on that one of our players had to go to the hospital to check out his arm. The same guy who collided with him bumped into my roommate, another PSP player, which consequently flung her into the air and across the field (she’s fine).
Scott Hall usually loses because our players are freshmen with less experience and bulk while other dorms had physically intimidating upperclassmen who actually knew the rules. We ended up losing by 40-some points, but our players came back flowing with adrenaline and elation. The few, the proud, the Scott Hall Co-ed Flag Football Team. I loved the atmosphere and would go watch it again if it hadn’t been PSP’s last game.